SEAL pups have been released back into the wild after being nursed back to health at Scotland’s new £3.5million animal rescue centre.

Three of them were put into the water at Aberdour, Fife, after spending the past few weeks recuperating at the Scottish SPCA Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, near Alloa.

Manager Colin Seddon said: “Our aim is to treat each animal and then return them back to their natural habitat. The seals were suffering from a variety of skin and worming problems but are now back to full health.

“It can be quite eventful getting them back to the sea but they love deep water. It’s where they belong and we are happy to see them back in the wild.”

The centre has been funded entirely by donations and is providing advances in care for injured wildlife in Scotland.

Colin added: “We are coming into pup season for seals and no doubt our centre will get busier over the next few months. Ideally, we want the seals to weigh 30kg before they are returned to the sea and judging by these three playful pups, they are delighted to be fit to return to the water.”

The centre was opened after the Scottish SPCA saw a 75 per cent increase in the number of sick, injured or orphaned wild animals being cared for by their vets, and the 10-strong team at the facility are always kept busy.

The complex is closed to the public but the Daily Record were allowed an exclusive first look inside and a day with staff.

Despite opening only four weeks ago, it is already caring for more than 100 animals.

The dedicated team look after adult foxes and cubs, otters, badgers, seals, red squirrels, rabbits, deer and swans, as well as 160 different types of birds.

Colin said: “Working here is not a nine to five job and the staff appreciate that. We aren’t open to the public because we need to respect that the animals aren’t used to human contact or being handled. We can’t allow them to become tame because they simply wouldn’t survive back out in the wild.

“Before this centre opened, we had to transfer wildlife to other organisations to continue their rehabilitation but we can now care for almost every type of wild animal found in Scotland – all the way from rescue to release, with whales and dolphins the only exceptions.”

The centre gives the SSPCA increased capacity to rescue and rehabilitate up to 5000 wild animals each year.

In the small mammal unit, staff member Lorin Willison, 21, from Crossgates, is looking after three wild baby rabbits named Peanut, Pecan and Pistachio.

She said: “They were found in Dundee and originally there were five but two died from their injuries. They were in pretty poor condition when brought to us and because they are so small, they need a lot of care and attention.”

Although Lorin is hand-rearing the young rabbits at the moment, the hope is that when they reach a healthy weight and size they will be released back into the wild.

She said: “Sometimes it’s hard not to get attached but we need to remember they are wild animals and belong in their natural habitat.

“The best thing is the satisfaction of knowing you have helped an injured or sick animal to get better.”

Another recent arrival at the centre is a tiny seven-day-old red squirrel, being nursed day and night by wildlife assistant Sheelah McAllister, 27, of Drymen, Stirling.

She even takes the cute animal, named Squirrelly, home with her at night to monitor his progress.

“Baby squirrels are usually born quite high up in trees and we think this one must have fallen to the ground,” she added.

“He comes home with me at night as he is fed a solution of goat’s milk every couple of hours to help build up strength.”

The small mammal unit has incubators to provide a warm and comfortable environment but the busiest area is the bird unit, currently home to 70 different types of sick or injured birds. The centre is the only one in Scotland with specialist facilities to care for oiled birds – staff can handle up to 1000 such casualties at any one time.

Unit head Lorraine Gow, 40, who has been with the SSPCA for 10 years, said: “The birds are brought to the centre by our volunteers or members of the public. The most common injures are those inflicted by cats, or birds with broken wings from being clipped by cars.

“We assess each animal as soon as it comes in and draw up a plan of action. Some just need medication and rest but sadly for some their injuries are so severe that they have to be put down.”

Lorraine is used to dealing with everything from dangerous birds of prey to docile pigeons.

Once the birds are healthy enough to leave the unit, they are moved to the spacious aviaries at the back of the centre to prepare them for release into the wild.

She added: “You get a real sense of achievement when they are well enough to leave and our feeding and nursing techniques are now being rolled out to other centres around the world, a compliment to the work we do here.”

The biggest part of the rescue centre is the large mammal unit, used to help injured grey and harbour seals, swans, and ducks.

Claire Stainfield, 22, from Dunfermline, said: “We get a lot of injured seals that have been sliced open by boat propellers or have been abandoned as pups.

“Depending on their condition, they will stay here until they are 30kg, which is our release weight.”

Grey seal pup Aries was brought to the centre suffering a painful skin condition, thought to be caused by a bacterial problem.

Weighing just 19kg, the young female was in poor health.

But thanks to the care she has received, Aries is now fighting fit and will be moved to the large open-air seal pools at the rear of the complex before being released back into the sea.

Claire added: “Without the support of donations, this centre would not exist and we could not rehabilitate these injured animals.”

? For more information or to report an injured creature, call the SSPCA on 03000 999 999.